The embodiments described herein relate generally to motors, and more particularly, to methods and systems used to control operating characteristics of the motor.
Electronically commutated motors (ECMs) (such as for example Brushless AC and/or DC motors), are used in a variety of systems operating in a variety of industries. ECMs are used to power products such as fans used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC). ECMs are subject to many operating conditions and often, the operating conditions necessitate that operating characteristics of the ECM change to match the requirements of the associated application (i.e., different speeds, airflow requirements for HVAC applications and/or rotation direction). More specifically, control circuits for ECMs may need to be changed to enable the ECM to operate with different operating characteristics for different applications and/or for different voltage levels.
In some known systems, the speed-torque characteristics of motors are an integral part of the design and rating of the system. When the motor within such a system is upgraded to include a brushless direct current (DC) motor or an existing motor is repaired/retrofitted, the characteristics that depend on the speed-torque curve of the upgraded/repaired motors may have to be re-evaluated. The re-evaluation is necessary since the new ECM could have a different speed-torque curve than the previous ECM and consequently, if provided with a different speed-torque curve as the previous ECM, operate at several hundred RPMs faster than the previous ECM's capabilities. This operational characteristic of an ECM can result in the ECM having higher or lower speeds under some conditions than it did prior to upgrade or retrofit/repair. Moreover, the operational characteristic of an ECM can result in the replacement ECM having a different rotation than the existing motor.
A conventional method of reconfiguring operating characteristics for a replacement motor may include the execution of a learning feature in which the replacement motor learns the application and sets new operating characteristics and/or returning the motor to a default set of operating characteristics. Reconfiguration of the operating characteristics, because of an incorrectly applied motor, may not result in the desired operating characteristics. Repeating the learning process, for example, may continue to evaluate the environment inaccurately resulting in the possible inability to obtain desired results for the operating characteristics.